


Bees Die After They Sting Someone

by TwoCrows



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: M/M, Minor Violence, Morally Ambiguous Characters, Platonic Relationship, Pre-Canon, Revolutionary Shinji, Social Injustice, Soulmates, Tops and Commons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24339445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoCrows/pseuds/TwoCrows
Summary: For all his life, Shinji has been treated like trash. All the Commons have. But none of them dares to speak up against the Tops who live in their own shiny, clean world just above them, mocking them with every time they raise their eyes to look at them. None of them has the courage to do what needs to be done if they ever want to be free.Well… Except for one maybe.
Relationships: Crow Hogan/Shinji Weber
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Bees Die After They Sting Someone

For as long as I remember he has been just like a black city crow, hardened by the countless struggles for food or the fights with other kids, strong and wilful… and at the same time admiringly wild and free. 

  


* * *

  


“This orphanage is going to be torn down, so you better get your stuff out and get lost.” 

That’s all. With that one sentence their life had been turned upside down. There were no words of comfort, no prospect on how to go on. Just a ‘Closed’ sign nailed at the door, telling them it was their own business whether they were going to live or die from now on. 

When he looked into the faces of the other kids, he mainly saw shock and dismay. Some tried to soothe those who had started to cry although they were on the verge of tears themselves. He couldn’t blame them. After all he felt just as lost as they did. There was no place he could go, no one he could run to in order to sob his heart out. But… above all else he felt angry! Angry at the Topsider who had owned their orphanage for just dying out of nowhere. Angry at her son for deciding to tear it down in order to build some shitty new factory which would yield a little more profit. Angry at their so-called foster parents for not putting up more of a fight. For letting them just tear down that tiny bit of a home they had. 

Fuck that! 

He looked over at the house behind the barred gate, his shelter for the last eight years of his life ever since his parents had died. He knew it was going to be the last time he’d see it. 

“No”, one of the girls in front of him whispered and clutched the bars, as if that was going to make reality a bit less hard. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, soaking the sleeves of her simple dress as she stared at the house as well. 

Slowly the crowd dispersed, as one after another the kids turned away and left, some alone, others in small groups, until only the crybabies remained. 

“Hey, Shinji”, a voice said behind him and then he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He turned around, meeting the eyes of Tony, one of the kids he got along with enough to call them a friend. 

“We decided to go around and search for a place to sleep. If you like, you can come with us. Umm…” 

His eyes flicked to the group of kids behind Tony. None of them looked like they had a plan or knew how they were supposed to go on, now that they were on their own without any grown-ups to take care of them. After all that was why they needed a group to keep going. 

“No, thank you”, he said, turning away. 

“Huh?” Tony asked in surprise. “Do you already know where to stay?” 

Shinji snorted. “How would I? I’m just doing what they want us to.” 

He could feel a few of the others turn around to him, surprise and confusion flickering in their eyes. 

“What do you mean by that?” Tony asked. 

Angrily he turned around. “Don’t you understand? We’re in the way. That’s why they want to tear down our home. That’s why they want us to take care of ourselves. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do, just like all of you.” He averted his eyes and his voice turned bitter. “After all we’re all just doing what they tell us to, aren’t we?” 

Tony stared at him, unable to make a reply. 

After a few seconds Shinji picked up the tatty jacket which was everything he owned apart from the things he was already wearing and walked away, into the world of trash which spread out in front of him. 

  


* * *

  


Relief flashed through him when he skidded around the corner, the loaf of bread tightly pressed against his chest, and used the old dustbin as a stepping stone to reach the low roof of the house which served as his sleeping place. So far no one had been able to find him up here. 

Exhausted, he leaned back and gasped for breath. Then he glanced beside him at the small collection of things he had managed to gather over the last three months. Most of them held no actual value, but to him they were nevertheless as valuable as a treasure in one of those stupid fairy tales. They were his, after all. 

“So this is where you’ve hidden, kid.” 

He darted around, but before he even had the chance to open his mouth, a fist struck his face and made him grow dizzy. He vaguely perceived how he was lifted up and cast aside. Then he hit the roof, rolled a little on the slanted shingles before they suddenly were gone and with growing panic he realised he was falling. 

The ground was hard and edged and knocked the air out of his lungs. A sharp pain flashed through his entire body, mainly his ribs, his palms, his elbows and his right knee. For several seconds he wasn’t able to look up, let alone move, merely forcing the painful breath in and out of his shaking body. 

Then a pair of boots landed next to him. 

“Is that junk everything you have, kid?” a deep voice asked. “Pathetic.” 

Squinting through the blur in front of his eyes, he glanced up and suddenly he felt like his heart stopped moving when the man threw his treasure on the ground and stomped on it. The sound of breaking plastic and glass rang unbelievably loud in his ears, filling him with an emptiness that was worse than anything he had felt before. 

These things… They were everything he had and that guy just… just… 

“You bastard”, he growled and pushed himself to his burning knees, but then the man’s boot hit his gut and sent him flying against the hard wall where he slumped down, his entire body convulsing with pain. 

“A bastard, huh?” the man asked sinister. “Better that than a shitty little thief like you, kid.” 

Shinji flinched when he stepped forward, menacingly cracking his knuckles. Then there was an unhealthy grating sound and the man stopped and collapsed after a moment. 

Shinji gasped in surprise and stared at him for a moment before he raised his eyes to the figure looming above him. The way they stood there, they looked so huge and overwhelming that he needed several seconds to notice they were actually a boy no older than he was, dressed in a leather jacket and a headband which held back his orange shock of hair. 

“Hey. You should be more careful who you try to steal from. Otherwise things like this are going to happen a lot more often than you want them to.” 

The boy swung a short iron rod through the air, casually resting it on his shoulder. 

“You hurt?” he asked then, kneeling down to him. 

“Y-Yes”, Shinji stuttered after he had found his voice and tried to sit up, though the pain in his ribs made him wheeze. 

“Hmm… I see”, the boy said and turned around.

Perplexed, Shinji looked after him, wondering for a moment whether that boy was just going to leave him here. Then however, he bent down to the crushed remains of Shinji’s belongings and carefully slipped them into the pockets of his pants. 

“H-Hey! Give them back! Those are mine!” Shinji tried to shout, but only half of the words actually left his mouth. 

“Yes, I know that”, the boy said coldly and came back. “That’s why you don’t wanna leave them here, do you?” 

“Leave them… here?” Shinji muttered, confused. 

“Sure”, the boy replied as if Shinji had just said something very stupid. “That guy over there is going to be quite angry when he wakes up.” He nodded at the unconscious man. “If you don’t want to get beaten up again, I guess you better not be here anymore when that happens.” 

Then he reached out his hand to him. 

“Here. I’ll help you.” 

Under normal circumstances Shinji never would’ve accepted such a straightforward offer, afraid it might be a trap to make him pay up for that boy’s help somehow, but… in that moment he was simply too stunned to deny. And so he took the boy’s hand. 

Despite the pain which flashed through the grazes on his palm, he also felt a faint kind of warmth spreading throughout his chest. As if he had found a glowing fireplace, welcoming him after the months of falling asleep on that cold rooftop. And for the first time in forever he wasn’t alone anymore. 

  


* * *

  


“C-Crow? What kind of a name is that?” 

“Dunno”, the boy replied as he rummaged through the dirty dishes which were piling up in the sink, trying to find a more or less clean cup for him. “I’m a kid of the street. The other people started calling me that, so that’s why it’s my name now.” 

“I see.” 

Awkwardly Shinji looked around. It’s been long since he had seen a house from the inside. Although it looked pretty run down like everything in this part of the City, it was actually kind of nice and he envied Crow for behind able to live here. Then however, something began to bother him. 

“Umm… Crow”, he began after a few seconds. “If… If you’re a kid of the street, then who does this house belong to?” 

“Oh, I guess nobody by now. Ah, here is one!” Victoriously he pulled out a high cup with a broken handle. 

“Huh? What… What do you mean by that?” 

“Well… Some say the guy who lived here went away after his girlfriend left him. So that’s why I’m staying here.” Absently he opened one of the cupboards and took out a small bottle, pouring a clear liquid into the cup before passing it to Shinji. 

“Err… That’s squatting, isn’t it?” 

“So what? As long as no one comes to complain, there’s nothing wrong with it.” 

A weak smile tugged at Shinji’s lips. That was a quite pragmatic way to see it. Then he noticed it was his first smile in forever. 

He took a small sip from the cup… and had to cough it out immediately. It had felt like liquid fire was running down his throat. 

“Is… Is that alcohol?” he asked. 

“Yup”, Crow said with a grin. “Some drunken guy threw it after me last week and I thought… Why waste it?” Then his grin softened and he handed Shinji a small towel to wipe away what had splattered across his chin. “I know it’s disgusting, but when you’re feeling like crap, there’s no better way to get back up. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.” 

Shinji gave him a doubtful glance before he lowered his gaze to the cup and took another sip. Although he was prepared this time, the alcohol still felt like it tried to set his throat on fire. After a few seconds though, gentler warmth began to spread throughout his chest, running even into his aching limbs, and slowly the pain faded a little. Quickly he took a larger gulp and fought down the urge to spit it out. 

“Hey, easy”, Crow said, laughing. “I don’t have much of it, so drink it slowly, will you?” 

Shinji nodded and followed Crow to the couch which filled a large part of the small living room. 

“Say, Crow… that mark on your face…” 

“Oh, you mean this one?” Crow asked, instinctively reaching for his forehead. 

“Does that mean you’ve been in the Facility?” 

Crow cracked a smile, though for the first time Shinji felt like it wasn’t an honest one. 

“No, I got this one in a reeducation camp they sent me after I tried to steal the deck of a Topsider who came down here to boast with how much superior he was to us Commons. That guy made me so angry I just couldn’t resist. I wanted to know what he’d look like when I beat him with his own cards. It was just for four months though, but I guess they wanted to show everyone that I mean trouble.” 

“And… you stopped stealing?” 

“Hell, no.” Crow looked at him as if he had gone crazy. “No, I just got more careful. Security doesn’t care about Commons stealing from other Commons. They’re just the Topsiders’ lackeys, you know?” 

Shinji lowered his gaze as anger welled up inside of him, about the teardown of his home which had forced him to become a thief in the first place. 

“Yeah, I know.” 

Crow smiled again and then he pulled out a stack of cards from his pocket. “So, Shinji… You wanna stay for tonight? Surely you know how to duel, don’t ya?” 

“Umm… yes, but…” Shinji muttered and glanced down at what was left of his scarce belongings. “The only cards I have got crushed by that guy.” 

“Oh, don’t worry”, Crow said and walked over to the small chest of drawers, taking out a second stack of cards. “I can lend you a few of mine. I’m afraid it’s not enough to make a full deck though.” 

Shinji stared at him for a few seconds. Then he lowered his eyes and a tentative smile flashed over his face. 

“That’s okay. I never got to play with a full deck anyway.” 

  


* * *

  


“Here you go”, Crow said in a friendly voice when Shinji approached him in the backyard of the factory. 

“Thanks, Crow”, one of the kids on the other side of the wire mesh fence replied happily and Shinji saw the round shape of a doughnut disappear beneath his shirt. 

He sighed. “Here you are. I’ve been looking for you, Crow.” 

His friend tensed up and gave him an uncomfortable glance before he turned back to the kids. 

“You better go now. And try to find something on your own from now on, okay?” 

“Okay. Bye, Crow.” 

Quickly the kids ran away and disappeared around the next corner. After a moment Crow straightened up. 

“So much for the egoistic harsh crow”, Shinji muttered in a slightly teasing voice. 

“I-It’s not like I wanted to help them”, Crow stuttered hastily. “They just looked at me with so hungry eyes I couldn’t help it.” 

“Yeah, yeah. First you give away your lunch and then you come to me later and complain about how hungry you are.” 

Crow started and turned towards him. “Wh-What? I never complain about…” 

As if to prove him wrong, his stomach began to rumble. 

Shinji sighed and reached into his pocket, handing Crow half of his own doughnut. 

“Whaah! Thanks a lot, Shinji! I owe you one.” 

“You owe me a lot more than one already”, he replied wryly and took a bite of the remaining half. “If I wouldn’t help you, you’d never make it to the end of our shift.” 

Crow made an awkward face. “That’s not true”, he mumbled, though both of them knew he was lying. 

“That aside”, Shinji said after a few seconds. “What’s the yield for today?” 

Crow gave him a secretive smile and reached into his pocket, taking out two small metal cylinders and a more rectangular-shaped piece. 

“I’m not really sure, but I think if we sell these, we might have enough.” 

Shinji’s face lit up with excitement. Although the pay for the hours at the conveyor belt was horrible, these small perks had allowed them to earn almost enough money to buy themselves a set of Duel Disks. Then they’d finally be able to duel alongside their cards and not just in front of them at the small table of what Crow had picked as his home. 

“Hey, you… What did you just say?” 

Shinji felt as though his heart was suddenly in his mouth and both of them turned, afraid their little theft had been noticed. However, the words didn’t seem to have been meant for them. They had come from a man on the yard across them. 

Shinji noticed immediately he wasn’t one of them. Instead of the simple, second- or third-hand clothes that were common in the slums, he wore a black and obviously expensive suit and wielded a walking cane with golden adornments. Despite that attire, he didn’t seem to be older than thirty. And he was angry. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, pressing his cane in the back of the man lying at his feet. “You’re not so cheeky anymore? Tch! What does a mere Common know about the hardships of life? You never had to take care of a big company. You don’t know what it feels like to be responsible for thousands of lives.” 

There was a hoarse sound and after a moment Shinji realised it had been a laugh. 

“Then why don’t we switch places?” the man on the ground asked, coughing. “If you think it’s so much easier to live down in the dumps, why don’t you come down from your high position and live with us from now on?” 

The word anger was hardly able to describe the look that crept over the Top’s face. 

“Insolent bastard”, he hissed and raised his cane, starting to beat the man beneath him. “Who do you… think you are? You want me… a Topsider… to live with scum like you? Don’t make me laugh!” 

Before he knew what he was doing, Shinji had taken a step forward and started to climb over the fence, until suddenly Crow caught his shoulder and pulled him back. 

“Stop that, Shinji”, he muttered and his voice was shaking with the same ire that was burning inside Shinji as well. “You shouldn’t poke your nose in that. You know how quick Security is at arresting people. You’ll just end up in the Facility.” 

“But… I can’t just stand here and watch this”, he replied, digging his fingers into the wire mesh. “You… I… We all… How long do we just let these Topsiders do with us what they want, huh?” 

Crow didn’t respond, but when Shinji attempted to climb on, he wrapped his arms around him and pulled him back from the fence, so hard they both came falling down. 

“I know how you feel”, he said as Shinji struggled to break free of his grip. “But that’s how the world we’re living in is. We’re kids, Shinji! What can we do against that?” 

Shinji gritted his teeth and after a moment he ceased his struggle. The sound of the walking cane crashing down at the man’s back rang loudly in his ears, making him feel once more like back then when he had stared at the house that had been his home. He was just a kid. He had to accept the world he was born in. Fuck that!! 

“One day”, he said grimly, curling his hands into fists. “One day we will be the ones standing at the top. And then they will have to crawl in the trash and feel our cane on their backs.” 

Crow stared at him and beneath his shock, Shinji could also see something else, deep inside his eyes, only at that point he wasn’t able to tell what it was. 

  


* * *

  


“Not bad!” Crow shouted as he began his turn. “But I am better than that. Since I control no monsters, I can Normal Summon _Black Feather – Sirocco the Dawn_ without a tribute. And when a _Black Feather_ monster is on my field, I can also Special Summon _Blast the Black Spear_ and _Kris the Crack of Dawn_!” 

A confident smile flashed over Crow’s face as his three bird-like monsters appeared around him, looking just as wild as he did. 

“And next _Sirocco’s_ effect will channel the ATK of all _Black Feathers_ on the field into _Kris the Crack of Dawn_.” 

The ferocious monster raised its dagger and the power of its two comrades began to flow into it, raising its ATK to 5600. 

“Now, _Kris_ , attack _Red Daemon’s Dragon Scarlight_ and end this duel!” 

His opponent merely harrumphed. “I activate _Daemon’s Chain_. This card stops your monster from attacking and negates its effects.” 

“Huh?!” Crow shouted, watching in dismay as dark chains came out of the Trap Card and caught his monster dead in its tracks. “N-No way! I lost again?” 

Shinji smiled. On the next turn Jack’s _Red Daemon’s_ effect destroyed all three of Crow’s monsters and dropped his Life Points to 0. 

“Come again when defeating you has become more of a challenge”, the blonde boy said and walked away. 

“Just you wait!” Crow called after him. “Next time I’ll beat you!” 

His perseverance sure was amazing. He had challenge Jack more than twenty times, but he hadn’t won a single duel yet. Nevertheless he simply refused to give up. Just like a real crow. 

“I think maybe you’ll stand a bigger chance if you tried something different from your _Black Feathers_ for once”, Shinji said and hopped down from the dustbin he had sat on while he had watched the duel. “I mean, I know how strong they are, but against Jack relying on numbers isn’t very effective, is it?” 

Crow turned towards him and a wide grin crept over his face. “No way. I could never stop using this deck. We’ve been through too much already.” 

Shinji lowered his head. “You like you _Black Feathers_ a lot, don’t you?” 

“Sure do”, Crow replied, growing serious. “They share a deep bond with each other, as well as with me. Whatever they do, they do it together, be it attacking or setting up the field for a Synchro Summon. You know, like birds of a feather.” 

Shinji cracked a smile as well. He had never thought about his cards like that. They had been precious to him because they were his, not because of such symbolism. And yet, he wondered if he’d be able to duel the way Crow did if he found something like that too. So wonderfully free… 

“Umm… So, if you want to stick with that deck, why don’t you try to duel someone who’s easier to defeat than Jack?” 

He shivered a little when he thought back to the one time he had tried to duel Jack himself. The boy had basically flattened him from his very first turn on. 

“Huh? Are you kidding me? Jack’s the best duellist around. If I can beat him, then that means I can beat everyone else too.” 

Shinji blinked. Then he couldn’t help but start laughing. This was just like Crow. 

“Huh? Hey, what’s so funny about that? Hey, Shinji!” 

“Nothing, nothing”, he answered, his shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter. “I just don’t see anyone beating Jack. I mean, some people say he could even take part in the Friendship Cup in a few years or so.” 

“Yeah, yeah, even so”, Crow replied sulkily. “Everyone knows in the end it’s always a Topsider who wins that Cup. It’s just another way for them to show how much better they are.” 

After a moment Shinji’s smile faded away. Of course Crow was right. After the riots following the arrest of the living duelling legend Tokumatsu Chojiro the Administrative Council had implemented the Friendship Cup, allegedly as a means to let Topsiders and Commons struggle for victory under the same conditions. However, no Common had ever made it through the semi-finals. After all how could they, with decks that were made of what could be found in the scrap and the cheap toy shops that existed down here between the junkyards, while the Tops could simply buy the best cards with all their money? 

It was ridiculous. And yet every year the stadium was cramped with people who came to watch the duels. Like dumb goose who came running when the farmer spread out food for them. 

If only there was a way to wake them up, a way to make them see how many they were and what they were able to do if they only stuck together. 

“Shinji?” 

Surprised, Shinji looked up and blinked as he found himself confronted with two boys, one tall and dark-skinned, with a violet shock of hair, the other chubby with fair skin and a bulbous nose. Somehow the smaller one felt familiar to him. 

“T-Tony? Is… Is that you?” 

“So I was right”, the boy said and a happy smile grew over his face. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? How have you been?” 

Shinji cast a glance at Crow who gave the two boys a curious look. “Are these friends of you, Shinji?” he asked then, turning back to him. 

“Umm… kind of”, Shinji replied a little uncomfortable as the memories of their not very warm goodbye welled up inside him. “Tony and I grew up in the same orphanage before it was closed down.” 

“Right. This brings back memories”, Tony said and sadness flashed in his eyes for a moment, before he covered it with a bright smile. “Anyway, you’re looking good. When you left, I was afraid you might end up all alone. Looks like I worried for nothing.” 

“Oh… umm…” Awkwardly Shinji cast down his eyes. Tony had always been like that, thinking he had to play everyone’s mom. It didn’t sit well with him to be looked down on like that although Tony wasn’t older than him, but it wasn’t as annoying as it had been back then anymore. 

“This… This is Crow”, he muttered and his friend cracked a smile. 

“Hi.” 

“And who is your friend, Tony?” 

“I’m Damon Lopez”, the dark-skinned boy said. “Nice to meet you.” Then his gaze fell on the Duel Disk on Crow’s arm. 

“Oh, hey, you’re a duellist? We’re too. Wanna have a duel?” 

“Huh? Sure”, Crow replied with sudden excitement. 

Shinji gave him a wry look. “You’re sure you want another duel after Jack wiped the floor with you? If you lose again, you’ll be down for the rest of the day.” 

Crow gave out a brief snort. “Hah. There’s no way I’ll lose twice in a row. Trust me. This time I’ll win.” 

Tony and Damon exchanged a surprised glance. 

“You duelled Jack?” Tony asked pitifully. “That’s depressing. When I duelled him, he flattened me on the second turn.” 

“No different with me”, Damon added. 

Crow cracked a proud smile. “Eighth turn.” 

“What? You serious ‘bout that?” 

“Wow. Then you have to be an impressive duellist, Crow.” 

Shinji sighed inwardly. One could literally watch the smugness spreading across his friend’s face. 

“Uh-huh, you got that right. I _am_ a good duellist. Wanna try it out?” 

“Hmm… Now you’ve gotten me curious”, Damon replied and reached for his Duel Disk. 

Shinji rolled his eyes. As cautious as Crow was when it came to surviving here in the slums without getting caught by security, when it came to duelling, he’d probably always be wild and reckless. Although… actually that was something Shinji liked about him. 

“I think I’ve seen your friend before”, Tony said quietly as the two stepped into the middle of the narrow street where they had more space. “He’s given food to the sister of one of my friends when they hadn’t had enough money to buy any.” 

“Yes, that sounds just like him. He’s never able to ignore someone who’s in need.” 

Tony gave him a friendly smile. “He’s a really kind guy.” 

“Right”, Shinji muttered and hesitated for a moment, before he added: “Just like you.” 

They watched quietly for a while as Damon’s _Alien Grey_ was destroyed by one of Crow’s _Black Feathers_ which then switched over to Damon’s field by the effect of his Trap Card. 

“Say… in the orphanage… we were friends, weren’t we?” 

“Umm… I guess so, yes.” 

Tony nodded slowly, looking somewhat relieved. 

“That’s good. When you didn’t want to come with us then, I thought I might’ve angered you anyhow.” 

Shinji thought for a moment. It was true, he had been angry at the other kids back then, just as he had been angry at the Topsiders, their foster parents and everything else. 

“Maybe you did, but I don’t remember anymore”, he lied. 

“Really? Then… we could become friends again?” 

Shinji considered him. Then he sighed and cracked a smile. 

“Yeah, why not?” 

  


* * *

  


That evening Shinji spent a long time thinking about a lot of things. His encounter with Tony and what had happened to them. The Friendship Cup. The state of the City in general. 

It was true, the Commons shared a deep bond with each other, just like Crow’s _Black Feathers_. As long as it wasn’t about their own survival, they could be kind and helpful, easily making friends, or at least connive at each other’s small illegal trips. 

And yet, what he was looking for was something different. He just couldn’t tell what exactly it was. 

He cast a glance at Crow who was mumbling in sleep, something about Jack bowing before him. Slowly a soft smile crept over his face before, after a while, it faded again. 

He needed to get started soon, or Crow was always going to stay ahead of him. 

  


* * *

  


The high towers of the Topsider districts glistened golden in the light of the afternoon sun, a majestic sight which didn’t fail to fill him with awe. 

How often had he wondered what it must be like to be born up there, in that other society which loomed so scornfully right above the greyish blocks of the slums? How did it feel to eat food which was even more expensive than the plates it was served on every day, to have an entire villa one could call home, and to take lessons by a private teacher instead of having to spend one’s days working at the conveyor belt? If that was the reality one was born in, it couldn’t be hard to look down at the Commons’ districts like they were only insects which could be crushed at will. 

_Insects…_

Shinji curled his hands into fists. That was right. For as long as he lived, he had been treated like a filthy bug, with no other purpose than to serve the ascendant class of the City. A mere working drone, nice to have while it didn’t make problems, but completely disposable should it try to speak up. 

And yet, he wasn’t able to see any way out of this. He could leave the City and try to start over somewhere else, but for that he’d need money and the only way to get some was to stay here and work like the good boy they wanted him to be. 

He sighed and turned away from the towers, once again checking his grocery list for something he might’ve forgotten, before he began his way back to Crow’s place. Tony and Damon had said they wanted to come over this evening and so Crow had decided he wanted to demonstrate his cooking skills. Shinji just hoped it was going to be edible. And for the worst case scenario he had bought a few bagels they could eat instead. 

“Huh? Hey, you gotta be kidding me!” 

He stopped and glanced around. The voice had come out of a smaller alley where he noticed two guys standing in front of a younger boy. All three of them were wearing Duel Disks, although the boy looked like he wasn’t very happy about that. In fact he was about to start crying. 

One of the guys in front of him grinned and waved a card in front of his face. “With useless cards like that you’re never going to win a duel. Let me do you a favour.” 

He dropped the card onto the ground. Then he raised his foot. 

Shinji’s eyes grew wide and suddenly he was lying back in the alley beneath his solitary sleeping place on that roof, watching in horror as the man from back then stomped on everything he had owned, everything he had been able to gather in a few months. 

Before he knew what he was doing, his hands had dropped the grocery bag and his legs had carried him into the alley. 

“Stop that!” he shouted angrily, knocking the guy off his feet. “Don’t… Don’t treat someone else’s cards as if they were trash!” 

“What, you… get off me, punk!” the guy replied and tried to push him away. 

Suddenly another pair of arms grabbed Shinji from behind and the guy’s companion pulled him away before he slammed his fist into his gut. Shinji convulsed, gasping with pain, but then he straightened up and punched the guy’s face, sending him tumbling away. In the meantime the first guy had gotten back to his feet and Shinji felt another punch into his ribs. 

One minute later his body felt like he had just passed through a scrap press, but he had managed to send the two guys off, giving out angry swears. 

“Here you have it back”, he wheezed and picked up the card the guy had dropped to the ground, cracking a hopefully friendly smile as he offered it to the boy. 

To his surprise the boy didn’t meet his eyes, uncomfortably looking away after a moment. 

“I don’t… want it”, he muttered and his voice tumbled a little. “He is right. I’m… I’m never going to win if I keep using cards like that. They’re just too weak!” 

Without giving Shinji another look, he ran away. 

“Hey, wait!” Shinji called and tried to run after him, but his body started hurting so hard he had to lean against the wall for support. “Damn it. Don’t give up before you even tried.” 

Then he took a few breaths, waiting for the blur in front of his eyes to clear up, before he took a look at the card. It was indeed not a very strong card, _Bee Force – Pin the Bullseye_ , a level 1 monster with 200 ATK and DEF. And yet… 

“There is no worthless card”, he muttered, curling his hand into a fist once more. “Nothing in this world is worthless. Not cards and not humans. I’m going to show you. I’m going to show everyone!” 

Yes. At that moment he was finally able to see it, the answer he had been looking for. The Commons… They were indeed like insects. But not the kind that was going to stay silent while they were crushed. He was going to show everyone that they were able to sting. 

Letting out a long breath, he slipped the card into his pocket and turned to leave, only to stop when he noticed there was someone standing at the end of the alley. 

“C-Crow?” he asked, blinking in surprise. “What’re you doing here?” 

His friend didn’t answer immediately, instead gazing at him for a few seconds, a weird look in his eyes. 

“I… umm… I noticed I forgot to write leek on the list, so I went to buy some. And… what about you?” Tentatively he stepped forward and considered the bruises on Shinji’s face. 

“You’re looking terrible”, he commented. 

“Well, I… I ended up in a fight”, Shinji replied, awkwardly casting down his eyes. “I know I probably shouldn’t have done that.” 

Crow reached out for his face, but Shinji quickly brushed off his hand and stepped past him. 

“Come. Let’s go home.” 

“Yeah. Right”, Crow said, following him after a moment. 

  


* * *

  


“It’s so quiet”, Crow muttered as they gazed across the roofs of the nightly slum. 

Of course the City didn’t really sleep at night. Most of the factories continued to run and the darker, more furtive trades came out of their holes a few hours after sunset. However, none of them tried to raise any more attention than necessary, and so it was indeed a lot quieter than at daytime. 

Nevertheless Shinji was able to feel it now, a pulse running through the dormant streets. Resting. Waiting, patiently. 

“Does it still hurt?” Crow asked, giving him a worried glance. 

“A little”, Shinji muttered absently. 

His hand was inside his pocket, gripping the boy’s card. It felt warm, hot in fact, glowing just like the answer which rested inside his chest, warming him from inside. 

“You… You’re looking different somehow, Shinji”, Crow said and glanced at the towers of the Tops in the distance. 

“Well, I… came to realise a few things”, Shinji replied after a few seconds. “This city is like a big bee hive. We are the drones, buzzing around, offering ourselves up for the swarm.” He paused for a moment in order to think about how to put into words what was swirling around inside his mind. 

“I know it now. I… I want to be a voice of the swarm, of everyone who lives here. The Tops need us to survive, but we don’t need them. Alone we may be weak, but if we work together, we are strong, stronger than they are with all their money and power. And I won’t stop before even the last one has realised that.” 

He looked at Crow who gazed back, a somewhat sad expression in his eyes. 

“Shinji… You know a bee dies when it has stung someone, don’t you?” 

Shinji glanced at the roofs in front of them. There were so many, reaching almost up to the horizon. So many living in the Tops’ shadow, too afraid to raise their voices. 

“If… that’s what it takes for everyone to be free of the scum that’s towering above us…” 

A few seconds passed. Then, suddenly, he felt Crow’s hand on his, gripping it tightly. 

“Shinji… Please don’t say something like that. I don’t want you to disappear. I don’t…” 

Shinji glanced at him for a moment, before his expression softened and he gripped Crow’s hand back, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” 

“Is that a promise?” 

He froze and for a few seconds all he could hear was the quick beating of his heart. 

“Yes. That’s a promise”, he said, though he wasn’t able to meet Crow’s eyes after that. 

  


* * *

  


One year passed. Crow had a brief stay in another reeducation camp after he helped a few kids who had stolen something in a factory to escape, earning him another mark on his face. While he was away, Tony and Damon became more and more fascinated with Duel Runners, a passion which immediately leapt over to Crow after he returned. Hearing their excited discussions every day was so infectious that even Shinji became interested in it, and so they agreed on building Duel Runners themselves. 

These special motor bikes which were also equipped with a Solid Vision system to enable the drivers to duel while they were racing across the highways had originally been a privilege of the Topsiders and those taking part in the Friendship Cup, but since there were more than enough Commons working in the factories that built them, it didn’t take very long before the first biker gangs modified their bikes. 

Of course that also meant that Shinji and his friends needed to work a lot more than before and they also had to steal a few of the rarer pieces here and there. Most of the time they simply dropped onto their mats when they came home in the evening and slept until they needed to get up again. Sometimes Shinji wondered if maybe they had turned into zombies already without noticing, but when the first roar of the engine rang throughout their garage it was a magnificent feeling which was worth all the hardships they had been through to get to that point. It was great, putting together the pieces with Crow and the others, doing fine tuning and all the stuff that was necessary in order to get them working. When they made their first tour, Shinji noticed surprised how much time had passed since they had gotten started. 

It felt nice, being able to be together with them. And for the first time he was glad to have been born exactly here. 

Then something happened which changed everything. 

  


* * *

  


“Huh? You can’t be serious about that.” 

Shinji stopped working for a moment when he heard the agitated voice of the foreman. He noticed he wasn’t the only one. 

“I’m not happy about it as well, but it’s not like I could do anything about it.” 

That voice belonged to the production manager, one of the few Commons who had worked themselves up high enough to receive a decent pay. 

“I know, but a production increase by twenty percent?” the foreman asked. “That’s insane. How are we supposed to do that?” 

Shinji flinched. That sounded indeed next to impossible. Three weeks ago the board of directors had decided to fire thirty percent of the workers, but demanded the same results as before, a fact which had forced all of them to work faster, longer and harder than they were actually supposed to. More than one had already collapsed under the strain. Another increase was going to bring all of them beyond their limits. 

“That’s a bad joke”, the man next to Shinji said angrily. “Do you know how little we earn here? And now we’re supposed to work until we drop dead?” 

“He’s right”, a woman added angrily. “Who do they think they are, demanding something like that?” 

“Please, guys, we’ll try to find a way to handle this”, the manager tried to assuage them. 

“Oh yeah? And how do you want to do that?” the first man asked. “I’m no genius, but even I can see what’s going on here. These fucking Tops just want to squeeze us dry.” 

“That’s right! First they say it’s eight hours per shift, then suddenly it’s ten and now what? They’re asking us to work twelve hours per day?!” 

“That’s outrageous!” 

“Please, please, everyone, I don’t think that was their intention.” 

“Yes, it was!” 

When the people around turned towards him, Shinji noticed surprised he had been the one who had uttered the last words. He hesitated, uncomfortably, but now that he had started, he could as well go on. 

“Don’t you see what they’re trying to do to us? They’re demanding more and more, and they didn’t start now but way earlier! The Tops care a shit about us! To them we’re nothing but working drones which they can discard as soon as we’re useless to them! Do you really want to go on like that?! To always do what these vultures ask of you?!” 

“No, we don’t!” he heard the first people around him say, quiet first, but growing more and more confident. 

“I don’t want to be their drone anymore!” 

“That’s right! The Tops have always looked down at us!” 

“It’s all their fault!” 

“Everyone, please calm down”, the manager began, though he was immediately overwhelmed by a cacophony of angry shouts. The man seemed to start feeling nervous and he quickly turned around and headed for his office while a growing crowd gathered in the centre of the hall. 

“Come, brothers! It’s time to show these Tops that we don’t just silently accept everything they tell us!” 

“Right”, a man around him joined in, grabbed a machine piece from the still running conveyor belt and smashed it on the floor. “If they want to wreck us, let’s wreck what belongs to them first!” 

A weird feeling blossomed inside Shinji. He could see it. For the first time he could see the vividness in the faces of his co-workers and not just the same indifferent submission they showed every day when they did their monotonous work. For the first time he could feel the strong, brimming pulse of anger burning inside them. He felt like they had passed a critical point and now their long bottled up discontent was going to burst forth and unleash an avalanche that might swallow up even the mighty towers of the Tops. 

“Everyone, let’s hole up in here”, the foreman’s loud voice rang across the crowd. “We’ll stay in here and we’re not going to leave until they let us work under acceptable conditions.” 

“You want to get back under their heel?!” Shinji asked angrily. “No! We may be poor and they live in their high security districts, but we are many! We have to show them now that they can’t trample on us! Brothers, we have to rise up!” 

Several affirming shouts burst forth around him. Then, he suddenly heard the sound of sirens drawing near. Of many sirens. A few seconds later the doors to the hall were opened and a whole company of security officers came running in, though to Shinji’s surprise they didn’t carry any batons or other weapons as he would’ve expected. 

“Okay, everyone”, one of them said into a megaphone. “That’s enough. Down on the floor and don’t resist, then we can all get this over quickly.” 

Shinji raised his fist into the air. “Don’t listen to him, guys! Do you really want to back down before these Topsider watch dogs?! They’ll never give us what we deserve, so we have to fight for it!” 

“He’s right”, the first men shouted and grabbed whatever kind of weapon they could find right now, charging at the officers. 

Again Shinji was confused by the officers’ lack of reaction. All they did was… activating their Duel Disks? 

“I summon _Goyo Defender_!” they shouted as one man and all of a sudden a whole wall of white-faced monsters appeared in front of the workers, armed with shields and batons. 

But… they were just Solid Vision projections, right? What point was there in using them? 

Apparently the other workers had come to the same conclusion and continued their attack, expecting to pass through the holograms with ease. However, much to Shinji’s dismay, the holograms proved to be much more solid than they should’ve been, repelling the workers with their shields and striking them down with their batons. 

Shinji curled his hands into a fist and reached for a nearby broomstick. He had sworn not to give up before everyone, _everyone_ , had realised how strong they were. 

“Don’t give up, brothers! We haven’t lost yet! They can’t put us down forever!” 

Then he charged at the wall of monsters in front of him. 

The rest ended very quickly. 

  
  


Not much later he found himself sitting in a small room. One wall had been replaced by a glass pane, though people could only look through it from the outside. After a while the door opened and a tall blonde man in a long, purplish coat entered. Just one glance at that man’s face told Shinji that he was bad news. 

“Well, well… that wasn’t a very good idea, my boy”, he said in a soft voice as he sat down across Shinji. “Now what would you say should I think of this? A teenager’s foolish wish to be important at least once in his life?” 

“Shut up!” Shinji replied angrily. “That’s not a foolish wish! It’s the collective anger the Commons have bottled up for decades. You may have stopped us this time, but don’t think you can ignore us forever.” 

The man made a slightly deploring grimace. 

“That’s a pity. I wanted to give you a chance to get out of this quickly… Shinji Weber… but if that’s how it is, I’m afraid you’ll have to stay in our custody for a little longer.” 

“Oh yeah?” Shinji spat. “That’s just a drop in the ocean. We’re not going to accept how you treat us any longer! Sooner or later we’re going to take what is ours!” 

The man leaned back on his chair, suppressing a yawn. Although that gesture angered Shinji even more, he realised that he wouldn’t get anywhere with that man and took a few seconds to calm down. 

“Say…” he began then. “Who are you, anyway?” 

A faint smile flashed over the man’s face and somehow it reminded Shinji of a shark which was merely waiting for the right moment to devour its next prey. 

“Me? My name is Jean-Michel Roget. I am the new Director of Security.” 

“Huh? I’ve never heard of you”, Shinji replied a little dumbfounded. Then he thought: What the hell was the Director of Security doing here talking to him? 

“Oh, that’s not surprising. I’ve been appointed just last week and I have yet to make my first public appearance. Actually I had hoped not to start my career with a quelled riot, but an amicable agreement with the workers of that factory. That would’ve made me look a lot more benevolent, if you get what I mean. Now, if you want, you can still change your decision, my boy. If you do me a little favour, I could do something for you as well.” 

Shinji gazed at him. He began to get an idea of how that man thought. 

“I’m sorry”, he replied, his voice hardly more than a quiet hiss. “But people like you make me feel nauseous.” 

“Hmm… I see. Then I’m afraid your next stop is going to be the Facility.” 

Director Roget got up and turned to leave. Before he reached the door, he stopped one more time and looked back at Shinji. 

“Say, do you know a little bit about chess, my boy?” he asked in a smooth voice. 

Shinji nodded slowly. He had learned the basic rules back in the orphanage, but he had never gotten really into that game. 

The man cracked a soft smile. “I like to think of the Commons in this city as pawns. They’re important to build up the field and for restricting the opponent’s moves, but… in the end they’re the first pieces to be sacrificed.” 

  


* * *

  


The first thing Shinji realised was that things inside the Facility were handled differently from the outside. He was forced to clean the bathroom on his own, the meals that were handed out to him seemed much smaller than those of the other prisoners, and almost everyone else seemed to be happy to bully him. At first he was angered by that attitude, considering they were all Commons and were supposed to stick together, but then he realised the basic principle that defined who was on top and who wasn’t. In the end it was nothing more than an experiment of the Tops how to play them off against each other. 

  
  


With a loud clattering noise Shinji’s tray landed on the floor. He gasped and glanced up at the sturdy man who had bumped against him and now looked down at him with a slightly annoyed expression. 

“Hey, you. Ya just stained my pants”, the man said. “How’re ya goin’ to make up for that, huh?” 

“Make up for that?” Shinji spat, giving out a brief laugh. “It’s your own fault for running into people on purpose.” 

The man stopped and leaned down, and Shinji could see a vein bulging on his bald forehead. 

“On purpose? Ya’re saying that I’m the one at fault here?” 

“Yes, that’s what I am saying”, Shinji replied. 

Anger flashed up in the man’s eyes and then his fist struck Shinji’s face and sent him tumbling backwards. At once Shinji felt like all the other inmates were looking at him, excited about the diversion. 

“How d’ya like this, brat?” the man asked with a grin. 

Shinji got back to his feet, though just a moment later he was struck by another punch which sent him crashing against the nearest table. 

“What’s this? Ya not gonna fight back?” the man said mockingly. 

Shinji gave out a dry laugh. “No. I don’t raise my hand against a brother”, he replied pained, pushing himself back up. 

Confusion flashed over the man’s face. 

“Whaddaya mean by that, huh?” he asked sinisterly, cracking his knuckles. “Ya think ya can make fun o’ me?” 

“I’m not making fun of you”, Shinji replied calmly. “You’re a Common, just like me. And that makes you my brother, no matter how often you hit me.” 

The man stared at him with a mixture of lingering anger and bewilderment. 

“We all live together in this City buried beneath the Topsiders’ trash”, Shinji continued. “For years we have done nothing but fight each other while they laugh in their sleeves. We’re never going to get out of that unless we stop fighting each other and start joining our strength to fight out real enemy: The Tops.” 

He could see a few of the faces around turn pensive. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Although they were locked up in here, they hadn’t forgotten how it felt to suffer under the Tops’ reprisals. 

“Tch. Ya wanna fight the Tops, boy?” the man asked, anger flashing in his eyes. “Didn’t ya realise where we are here? This is rock bottom.” 

He raised his fist and punched Shinji again, sending him flying until he hit the floor. 

“Ya know what I can stand least of all? Native dreamers like you.” 

Shinji gave out a pained laugh. “You mean naïve, don’t you?” 

The man gritted his teeth and flung himself at Shinji, and a moment later a barrage of punches rained down at him. 

“Hey, you! Get apart!” the imperious voice of a guard cut through the crowd and then the man was pulled away from him. 

“That’s it, boys!” a second guard said, pulling Shinji up. “You’re going to have more than enough time to cool down in solitary confinement.” 

Shinji made a grimace. His face hurt like hell, but he couldn’t have fought back. That man was just doing what the Tops wanted him to. He was no enemy. 

When he glanced at him however, he saw a faint grin playing around the man’s lips. 

“Ah, I’m sorry”, he said to the guard. “I just got carried away a little there. Surely ya can turn a blind eye to this, can’t ya?” 

And with his free hand he reached into his pocket and slipped the guard something. Briefly Shinji saw the silver border of a Synchro Monster Card before the guard let go of the man, cracking a lenient smile. 

“Sure, I know how that is”, he said and straightened his cap as he turned to leave. 

For a moment Shinji wondered whether he’d be released as well, but then the guard holding him just twisted one of his arms on his back and pushed him forward towards the solitary cells. When the heavy door closed behind him, Shinji realised. This was how things worked in here. 

  


* * *

  


Just a few hours after he was released, a guard came to him, telling him that the boss wanted to have a word with him. Shinji followed him, expecting them to be some sort of an overseer. However, the old man in the olive kimono who looked down at him didn’t look like he belonged to the Facility staff, rather like he was an inmate himself. 

“I brought him to you”, the guard said with a bow and pushed Shinji into the spacious cell in which the old man sat on top of a large block, like some sort of king towering above the common people. 

“Thank you”, the man said and made a wave of his hand which prompted the guard to lock the cell and leave. Then he turned to Shinji and considered him for a few seconds. 

Shinji gazed back, not sure what to think of this guy. Whoever he was, his word surely was important here. 

“I’ve been watching you for a while, boy”, the man said finally. “You’re the rebellious type who doesn’t want to submit to the rules, but nevertheless you refuse to fight another Common because of that. On the outside, I’d admire you for such an attitude. However, by now you should’ve noticed how things work in here. Compassionate guys like you are the first ones to be crushed. You’re going to have a hard time surviving on your own. At least unless you make a powerful friend.” 

“What’re you trying to tell me, old man?” Shinji asked warily, not quite able to see what that man was getting at. 

“He’s telling you to offer up your cards to him”, a squeaky voice said and Shinji noticed two younger men who had stayed in the shadow of the tall block until now. “At least that’s what everyone does who wants to have a nice time here.” 

Shinji’s hand curled into a fist. “Offer up my cards? Are you trying to make fun of me? Cards are a duellist’s lifeblood. Only a fool would give them away like that.” 

There was a moment of silence in which the old man’s henchmen began to grin. 

“Let me tell you something”, the man said, leaning forwards on his makeshift throne. “I’m in here for seven years already, and by now I’m the one making the rules here. When I give someone an order, they do it. Being on my good side is one of the best things that can happen to you. I’m not saying you have to give me all of your cards. A few are enough to ensure me that you respect me.” 

Shinji gritted his teeth and he had to stop himself from lashing out at that man. 

“Someone who demands a duellist to give up what’s most important to them”, he hissed. “How could I respect someone like that?” 

“So you really don’t want to cooperate?” 

The man got to his feet and despite his old age he suddenly seemed a lot taller. 

“Think about it, boy. Even a few useless cards would satisfy me. Or do I need to show you what happens to those who get on my bad side?” 

Defiantly Shinji held the man’s gaze. “Useless cards?” he asked, cracking a grim smile. “You mean like this?” 

The man’s scowl softened a little as Shinji took out his _Bee Force – Pin the Bullseye_. 

“Now let _me_ tell _you_ something”, he continued. “This one card has changed my entire life. It has made me find the answer I’ve been seeking ever since the Tops destroyed my home. Something like useless cards don’t exist! Even weak cards can lead to a duellist’s defeat! Just like even we Commons are going to triumph over the Tops one day!” 

The man gazed down at him, unfazed by Shinji’s outburst. 

“I already heard why you’ve been sent here, Shinji Weber”, he said indifferently. “That was the reason you caught my attention in the first place. The fire inside your eyes reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. But…” He paused and closed his eyes and suddenly a sad expression flashed across his face. “In the end the weak get always crushed by the strong. I had thought you had learned that lesson already.” 

Shinji’s eyes narrowed. Something about this man began to feel more and more familiar. 

“Wait a second”, he muttered as the pieced joined together inside his mind. “You said you’re here for seven years, didn’t you? N-No way! Are you… Tokumatsu Chojiro?!” 

The man gazed at him and a wistful shimmer glistened in his eyes. 

Shinji felt like all of a sudden someone had pulled the ground from under his feet. 

“Enjoy Chojiro, the living legend who used to talk about duelling for fun? You tried to show the Commons that they were capable of achieving something on their own by challenging the Tops to duels, until…” 

The man lowered his head. “Until I was caught cheating and was arrested for it.” 

“No, this… this has to be a lie!” Shinji shouted. “As a kid I admired Chojiro more than anyone else! He would never demand a duellist to give up their cards, their very heart! That just can’t be.” 

Chojiro gave him a tired, exhausted look. “It’s quite a shock, isn’t it? To see what happens to an ideal when one has lost everything. Sooner or later you’ll become like that too when you’ve realised that you’ll never be able to defeat the Topsiders. Then that fire of yours will die away as well, just like it happened with me.” 

He sat down again. “You can keep your cards. I don’t want them anymore.” 

One of his henchmen knocked against the bars and a few seconds later the guard from before reappeared. 

“Bring him back to his cell”, Chojiro said, throwing a card to the guard. 

“You’re wrong”, Shinji said as he stepped out of the cell. “One day we are going to rise above that conceited Topsider scum. Make sure you don’t die before I’ve shown you, old man.” 

He didn’t turn around again, but he could feel Chojiro’s sad gaze resting on him until he turned around a corner and the man’s cell disappeared out of sight. 

  


* * *

  


The months passed slowly inside the Facility. To some degree he got used to being bullied by the other inmates and to how unfair the guards treated him compared to those who bribed them, but he felt like at least some of the other prisoners respected him for what he had said and left him alone. 

He saw Chojiro and his two henchmen during lunch, sitting apart from the others and enjoying luxury food, but he didn’t feel the desire to talk to him again, and it seemed the old man felt about him in the same way. 

The first time someone actually gave him a friendly look of sorts was when he stepped up for a group of newcomers who were bullied just like he had been. In that moment he felt reminded of his first meeting with Crow, back then in that dark alley. He had looked so cold at first, almost indifferent, and yet he had picked up Shinji’s things and taken him home, something no one else had ever done for him. 

Crow… Shinji missed him. He was feeling more and more lonely as the weeks passed by. He had hoped his friends would come to see him at least from time to time, but… nobody ever came. Not Tony. Not Damon. Not even Crow. 

Of course there had to be a logical reason for that. They had been forbidden to visit him. They had been caught too and were locked up in some other part of the Facility. At least that was what he told himself over and over again. What he thought when he curled up on his hard cot… was something different. 

He felt alone. So terribly alone. Just like back then when he had to sleep on that cold roof, with no other company than the stars which shimmered through the clouds. 

Crow… He wished he’d come again to save him. He wished he was here with him now. If he had been on the same shift that day… if they had both been arrested together, then… then they’d be here, together, now. 

Shinji hated himself for thinking like that. He was glad his friend didn’t have to see the Facility from inside. He was glad that Crow was out there somewhere, riding his Duel Runner, living as wild and free as a crow ought to. At least he tried to be. 

And so days piled upon days, weeks upon weeks, and eventually, when he had almost forgotten about it, his time in the Facility had come to an end. The warden looked even a little angry when he brought Shinji out of his cell. During all the time here he hadn’t given up a single one of his cards. 

As he walked down the shabby streets, relishing in the smell of fresh air, he noticed that things couldn’t have gone very well while he had been away. He could see the tension on the faces of the people who passed him, the frustration that lay inside their eyes. A little bit away he could hear the sirens of a Security patrol, and then a Duel Runner came skidding around a corner and moved away, being pursued by a trio of Security officers just a few seconds later. 

Shinji’s chest tightened up when he thought what was going to happen to the poor guy on the Runner as soon as they caught him. 

Well… there was nothing he could do about it right now. 

When he walked on, he suddenly heard a hoarse caw and looked up, meeting the gaze of a black crow that watched him from the roof of a nearby house. Then it spread its wings and flapped into the air, soaring across his head and into a small alley. 

Shinji followed it with his eyes… and froze when he noticed the boy standing in the alley. For so long he had craved to see that messy, orange shock of hair, but now that he did, it felt kind of unreal. As if all of this was just a weird dream. 

“Shinji”, Crow muttered, his eyes wide and filled with disbelief. “You… You’re back.” 

After a few seconds Shinji nodded. “Yeah. I’m back.” 

  
  


They walked home together, side by side as they used to, but none of them said a word, afraid of the things that had changed between them. 

Crow looked different, reserved somehow, like the first time they had met. Shinji wondered if he felt guilty for not having been there when he had been arrested. That would be just like him. Crow had always put everyone else’s needs above his own, although he’d never admit it. 

“Don’t worry about it”, he said quietly, after a while. “I’m not blaming you for anything.” 

Crow nodded, though he didn’t look at him, gazing forward instead. 

“We wanted to visit you, but every time we came, they sent us away with some excuse.” 

“Figured as much”, Shinji muttered. 

“Damon wondered whether you might’ve died already and they wanted to smother it up. But I knew you were still alive. I don’t know why, but… somehow I knew it.” A weak smile tugged at Crow’s lips. “And I was right about it.” 

Shinji lowered his gaze. “Yeah, you were right.” 

For a while they walked silently. There were so many questions buzzing on inside Shinji’s head, about Tony and Damon, about what had happened in the City, but he wasn’t sure where or how to start, and so he stayed quiet. Actually it felt kind of nice. To be here in this moment. With Crow. 

“Jack has won the Friendship Cup”, Crow said suddenly. 

Shinji stopped dead, giving his friend a disbelieving stare. Jack had… A… A Common had… 

“H-Hey, you’re kidding me, right? The Tops would never allow that to happen. It would mean they’d have to listen to him. It would mean they couldn’t ignore us any longer.” 

When Crow refused to meet his eyes, Shinji realised there had to be something else Crow hadn’t told him yet. 

“What… What’s wrong? Crow, what happened?” 

“ _What happened_?” Crow repeated bitterly, before he gave out a brief laugh. “Nothing happened. Duel King Jack’s sitting on his throne among the Tops and everything goes on as it has before. He… He’s betrayed us. He hasn’t done a single thing for us.” 

Shinji felt his hands curl into fists. 

“So he’s become a lap dog of the Tops as well?” he muttered. “What a pathetic traitor. Then we’re going to crush him, just like the rest of that Tops scum.” 

Crow’s breath caught for a moment and an uncomfortable look flashed in his eyes. 

“You still want to do that? Even after what… happened?” 

Shinji gave him a bewildered glance. 

“Of course I do”, he said. “After what you just told me, I’m all the more serious about it. We can’t wait any longer for someone else to step up for us. If we want a change, we have to do it with our own hands.” 

Crow looked at him for several seconds and Shinji could see reluctance on his face, as well as something else he wasn’t entirely able to place. 

“Shinji… do you remember that day in the alley when you stepped up for that boy?” he asked. 

Shinji nodded, surprised. 

Crow lowered his head and looked away. “Actually I… was there all along. I saw everything from the very beginning. I saw how you got into a fight just because of that one little card that wasn’t even yours. That was… one of the bravest things I ever saw.” 

Shinji stared at him. Crow’s voice was quiet and calm, and yet there was a faint blush on his cheeks, something Shinji had never seen on him before. And what he was saying… Did that mean he…? 

“What you did back then… it confused me. But… I also began to admire you. Those things you said to me afterwards, about how the Commons are like bees which can’t exist as individuals, but only all together as a swarm, made me think about that stuff as well. And I think you’re right. Something has to change. But…” 

He met Shinji’s eyes and the sudden sadness in his eyes sent an actual stab of pain through Shinji’s heart. 

“After… After they took you away, I realised I didn’t want a change like that. I don’t want a revolution if that means losing a friend. Rather, I…” 

Shinji didn’t notice he had moved until his fingers seized Crow’s collar, pulling him closer. 

“Hey… What’re you saying there, Crow? You mean you want to accept this?! You’re telling me you want to spend your whole life on this trash heap, always just doing what those Tops are telling you?!” 

He was just the same. Just the same as Chojiro, simply bowing his head before the Tops who had beat them. Who had looked down on them. Even Crow. 

“Of course not”, Crow replied angrily. “I’m unhappy with how things are as well, but…” He looked away. “Without you our life wasn’t the same anymore. I felt like suddenly a piece of my world had been ripped away which I didn’t even know had been there. If we really rise up against the Tops, what do you think how many casualties it would take? How many other people would have to disappear for that?” 

Shinji’s fingers let go of Crow’s collar and he tumbled a few steps back until he felt the reassuring hardness of the wall behind him. Crow had… felt about him like that? He had missed him like that too? This was… 

“Shinji”, Crow began softly and a friendly smile grew over his lips. “Can’t we just keep living down here, honestly, without any more stealing? If we Commons stick together, like bees, then… we could endure how the Tops treat us, couldn’t we? If everyone does their part, it would work.” 

“No, it wouldn’t”, Shinji muttered sinisterly and the tired face of Chojiro flashed before his eyes. “ _We can’t change anything. That’s just life. What can we do about it?_ I’m sick of hearing those lines. I’m sick of everyone telling me to just give up and accept being treated as a foot mat. As long as we don’t take what is rightfully ours, we’ll always stay that in their eyes, a dirty mat that’s barely good enough to wipe off their shoes. Do you really think we could accept that, Cow? Well… I couldn’t. And I don’t think you could accept it as well. That’s why we have no other choice but to fight.” 

They gazed at each other for a long moment, Shinji’s hard eyes meeting Crow’s softer, sadder ones. Then Crow ducked his head. 

“I’m your friend, Shinji. If that’s the way you’ve decided to go, I’ll go it with you. Although I still hope there’s another option, a way we don’t have to fight.” 

Shinji considered him for another second and then, slowly, he reached out his hand. 

“Thank you, Crow. This… means a lot to me.” 

A smile flashed across Crow’s face and he took Shinji’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

“Welcome back… Shinji.” 

  


* * *

  


For as long as I remember, he has been like a black city crow, hardened by the countless struggles for food or the fights with the other kids, strong and wilful, and at the same time admiringly wild and free. But in that moment, although things between us seemed to be just like they had been, I also felt that they weren’t. There was a maturity in his eyes which hadn’t been there before. And I knew that maturity was going to widen the invisible gap between us. 


End file.
